These newer technologies use less energy and are well on their way to replacing regular light bulbs. We hope today's Wonder of the Day brightened your day!
Bask in the afterglow as you explore the following activities with a friend or family member:. Sorry to hear, Kioni. But, there are over other Wonders--we're sure you'll find something you'll like! We're sorry to hear you had problems with the Wonder Word Quiz for this Wonder. It seems to be working okay now. If you still have issues, please let us know. Hi, RIRI! That's right - each Wonder of the Day has a set of vocabulary "Wonder Words," which are highlighted in yellow.
You can learn the definitions of these words and then take a Wonder Word challenge!! Great question, Colten! If the tungsten filament is broken, you can hear it rattle if you shake the lightbulb! Hi, Jayda! Nikola Telsa is also well known for his work with electricity and communication systems. He even worked for Thomas Edison at one point. Learn more from this LiveScience article, Nikola Tesla vs.
We're glad the Wonder was helpful and you learned something new! Thanks for visiting! Great to hear, hadley! We love learning new Wonder Words. Hi gage! It sounds like you are very familiar with the scientific method. Have you done any experiments using the scientific method to learn more about light? Thanks for commenting! Thanks for leaving us this great comment! Hi, Joey! Great question! Compact fluorescent bulbs CFLs do contain small amounts of mercury, which is hazardous to your health.
When they no longer work, they should be disposed of at the proper recycling centers. Many hardware stores offer free recycling of CFLs! Howdy, Angel! Thanks for dropping in to Wonderopolis to say hello! We encourage you to go on a Wonder adventure of your own to discover how electricity powers electronics! We hope you'll come back and share what you've learned with us so we can learn something new as well!
Thanks for stopping by Wonderopolis, Hunter G! It took Thomas Edison thousands of experiments over many years to develop the light bulb! He worked very hard, didn't he?! That's true, Max! There are different light bulbs now called LEDs. Many people are switching to LEDs because they're more energy-efficient, last longer, and cost less in the long run. Thank you for sharing your comment with us, Chloe C.!
Light bulbs turn on instantly because the electrical current moving from the light switch to the bulb is moving at the speed of light, million miles per hour! Additionally the light itself is moving at that speed, so it all happens faster than the blink of an eye! Thanks for paying a visit to Wonderopolis and leaving a comment, Brook D! We usually put light bulbs in every room inside buildings and homes because the light from bulbs isn't very strong and objects like walls block the light from being able to travel far.
With the United States being so big, could you imagine how large and powerful a light bulb would need to be to light up the entire country? That depends on what kind of light bulb you are using, Emily! Incandescent bulbs the type explored in today's Wonder of the Day last an average of 1, hours.
Compact fluorescents CFLs last between 8, and 10, hours. Can you calculate how many years that equals? How many are used in your classroom? How many in your school? We're thinking LOTS are used each day around the world! With the help of an adult, check out this cool way to build your own light bulb from Steve Spangler Science! That's why the saying "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!
If they didn't keep trying, who knows when light bulbs would have been invented! We use books, the Internet, and experts to find out information. That depends on the type of light bulb you are using. The heat is enough to make the filament glow white-hot.
Unfortunately, this isn't very efficient. Most of the energy that goes into an incandescent bulb is lost as heat. In fact, a typical light bulb produces perhaps 15 lumens per watt of input power compared to a fluorescent bulb, which produces between 50 and lumens per watt.
Combustion offers another way to produce photons. Combustion occurs when a substance -- the fuel -- combines rapidly with oxygen, producing heat and light. If you study a campfire or even a candle flame carefully, you will notice a small colorless gap between the wood or the wick and the flames.
The typical incandescent light bulb contains a thin wire usually tungsten called a filament that has a high electrical resistance. This filament gets very hot when an electric current passes through it. The intense temperature makes the filament glow brightly. If oxygen were present the glowing hot filament would burn up. For combustion as we know it, oxygen must be present. Thus on Earth the glass globe around the filament is necessary to keep the filament isolated from the oxygen in the air.
It also protects us from the exposed wires and hot filament. Since there is no air oxygen in outer space, a filament without a glass covering would simply glow and not be consumed by traditional burning.
Actually, the filament gets so hot it literally boils off atoms and electrons. Cheap, effective and easy-to-use, the light bulb has proved a monstrous success.
It is still the most popular method of bringing light indoors and extending the day after sundown. But by all indications, it will eventually give way to more advanced technologies, because it isn't very efficient. Incandescent light bulbs give off most of their energy in the form of heat-carrying infrared light photons -- only about 10 percent of the light produced is in the visible spectrum.
This wastes a lot of electricity. Cool light sources , such as fluorescent lamps and LEDs , don't waste a lot of energy generating heat -- they give off mostly visible light. For this reason, they are slowly edging out the old reliable light bulb. For more information about incandescent light bulbs and other lighting technologies, check out the links below. Light bulbs are ranked by their power -- the amount of light they put out in a certain period of time measured in watts.
Higher-watt bulbs have a bigger filament, so they produce more light. A three-way bulb has two filaments of different wattage -- typically a watt filament and a watt filament. The filaments are wired to separate circuits, which can be closed initially using a special three-way socket.
The switch in the three-way socket lets you choose from three different light levels. On the lowest level, the switch closes only the circuit for the watt filament.
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